On the Internet Explorer team we love the web, and we’re always looking for ways to make it better. Today we’re excited to announce our partnership with DailyBurn.com, which lets you make the most of the browser on your phone, tablet and IE for Xbox 360. DailyBurn allows users to sync their workouts, interact with personal trainers or track their nutrition goals across devices, all on the web. We’ve come to calling cross-device experiences, like our partnership with Daily Burn, the companion web. IE on Xbox 360 is one of the most popular browsers out today, and that great browsing experience just got better: to ensure all Xbox users have access to this new experience, we’ve worked with our friends on the Xbox team and DailyBurn to create some compelling offers:

· Starting today, May 1, all Xbox LIVE users will have one-month’s access to the IE for Xbox 360 app surf, explore and experience the web with sites like DailyBurn.

· Also starting today, DailyBurn is offering all users two months free access to all online workouts and nutritional advice and programs via IE on your Xbox 360 or PC.

Over the last few years, we’ve seen an explosion of scenarios where people are multi-tasking on one device while consuming content from another. In the US alone, 85% of smartphone and tablet owners are consistently using these devices as companion experiences to watching TV.Our partnership with DailyBurn is just the beginning of real-world examples popping up that demonstrate the potential of companion web scenarios. What’s valuable about the companion web is that you can use multiple devices simultaneously, or sequentially, with the end product always resulting in an increase in consumer interactivity.

For example, I’m a new dad and I love working out but don’t always have the time to go to the gym. Firing up DailyBurn via IE on my Xbox, and syncing my fitness goals to my Windows Phone or Windows 8 device, provides an easy way for me to track calories burned and interact with the trainers—all while completely engaged with my devices. We believe the companion web has many user scenario options, and this concept will fuel the next generation of interactive web experiences as tablets, smartphones and PCs are now a part of 93% American households.

Working with the DailyBurn team has brought Xbox fitness enthusiasts a new, exciting way to experience their workouts through IE and DailyBurn’s Get Fit for Summer Program.

“The Internet Explorer team understood our mission to bring a convenient and new experience online that allows our DailyBurn subscribers to achieve their fitness goals in an easy and convenient manner using the gadgets they love,” said Andy Smith, DailyBurn.com CEO, “The IE team’s initiative to move the web forward and partner with us to bring this experience to Xbox provides our fitness fans with just another option to stay active and live a healthy lifestyle.”

To give you a sense for what happens behind the scenes with Daily Burn on Xbox 360, here are a few technical backend details:

· When a user is about to start a new workout through the web, we open a new communication channel with the server. To connect a companion device to IE on the Xbox we use a QR code, which is effectively the same as typing in the URL that is also available and seen from the screen. Opening that address through a phone or tablet will connect the device in a handshake through the server to the Xbox.

· Once this happens, messages are sent frequently between the Xbox and the companion device to ensure that everything is synchronized based on the current status of the video.

The cool thing about building companion web experiences is that the developer is not tied to a specific platform or standard. For example, you can develop these sites using WebSockets for a faster communication if real-time updates is a requirement, or you could use a more traditional pulling system if reaching a broader audience is of importance, and the scenario can handle a delay of a few hundred milliseconds.

To check out the DailyBurn experience and see how IE can make this experience seamless and convenient across your favorite devices, check out the video below:

Now get off the couch, turn on your Xbox and get started on your DailyBurn workout!